ONE BIG UNION.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16424, 18 January 1919, Page 10

ONE BIG UNION.

AUSTRALIAN CONFERENCE. IMPRISONMENT OF LABOURITES CONDEMNED. ' (Received January 17th, 10.20 p.m.) MELBOURNE, January 17. The one big union conference elected a council to supervise the launching of the scheme, and decided to an official organ. It was resolved to oabl6 to the Premier of New Zealand, emphatically protesting against the incarceration' of Private P. C. Webb and 1 other Labourites, and requesting their early release. , 1 THE TRANSPORT WORKERS. MEETING IN CHIUSTCHURCH. A meeting under the' auspices of the New Zealand Transport Workers' Advisory Board was held in the Trades Hall," Christchurch, this. week. The various branches of the Federation were* represented on the platform by Messrs R. Hampton (Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants), Lewis Glover (president, Waterside Workers' Federation), J. R-oberts. (secretary, 'Waterside Workers' Federation). Hiram Hunter (representing the Drivers', Tramwaymen, Seamen, nnd United Federation of Labour). Messrs' Glover and Roberts are delegates to the annual conference of Waterside Workers now sitting at Lyttelton. Mr Hampton, who presided! .welcomed delegates to Christchurch, and hoped the deliberations would be attended by fruitful results. The constitution, aims, and objects of the Transport Workers' Advisory Board, were explained, "together with a resume of its activities of the past year. With the exception of one section, it was stated that all the railwaymen were now affiliated. Within the next twelve months lie believed that that section would affiliate, Mr Roberts said a clause urider the constitution stated that one oftho objects was to create a better understanding between the employers and workers. They were perfectly aware of the linti of demarcation, between the workers and the employers, but they interpreted that clause to mean that they couldJ work for a better understanding by thd employers of the aims and objects of the working ■ The rest of the constitution meant that they were out) to organise all the transport workers into one federation, and use that organisation for the benefit of .each unit to get an adequate return for his laLour ; also to improve his working conditions and shorten his hours of labour. To-day they had all the sections with the exception of the engine-drivers and firemen. He did not jpow why they stood out, but he behoved with Mr Hampton that they would affiliate within the next twelve months. _ There* would have been serious industrial disputes but for the intervention of the! Transport Federation. No ono section! of the affiliated workers would bd able to enter a dispute without consulting the others. The Transport Advisory Board was out to stop the formation of further craft unions. Other sections of industry werojirganiSed on craft lines, but the Boaru"asked tliem to group on industrial lines, in order that they might be able to form an efficient national labour organisation that could speak with.- no uncertain voice for the whole of organised labour in this country. The object it had In view for the future Was to own andl control the industries. Instead of the Tramwav Board running the trams, the control "should be vested in tho tramway men, who would run the trams for the benefit of the. citizens. There was no need for any middleman. The Tramway Board had to depend on the engineer's report, but did not themselves know anything of the industry. Tho only efficient means was for the men: who operated 'the industry to control it. In the Railway Department th 6 same thing applied.- They would get just as efficient service if the railways were controlled by the A.S.R.S. "Mr Hunter said he hoped that the realisation of the idea of the Trans-* port Advisory Board, for which ho had. worked ever since its inception, was now in sight. For the nast twenty vears the tramways had Telied upon the Arbitration Court, and it was purely a farce going to that Court and calDng evidence to show that their demands were justified. The cue determining factor was: What is the strength of the organisation behind it? . Sir Glover said one of their objects was to knock down the eighteen affiliated unions and register one Waterside Workers' Union, with a board in each port—the same as the A.S.R.&.